


He's lost

by NootDoot



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dark!Lance, M/M, Torture, doot hath beta'd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 14:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12583916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NootDoot/pseuds/NootDoot
Summary: Uhhhh, related to my other work, "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked."This is a one-shot where Lance was captured by Lotor. The team doesn't really know what has happened to their Red Paladin. They make a call to Lotor, a video call, to ensure Lance's safety and possibly talk about a strategy they can use to get the Red Paladin back to them. What happens, though...it's something they do not expect.





	He's lost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tasibi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasibi/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Newest General](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12196320) by [NootDoot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NootDoot/pseuds/NootDoot). 



_Also, this is a vent one-shot so it WILL get dark and crazy, beware~_

 

The call started off spotty, as the long-distance conection could be interfered by Solar Flares and odd celestial objects, but finally, things were starting to clear up. Slowly, but surely. The room that they could see was swathed in deep purple, the color of Galra.

Shiro sucked in a breath, "That's their interrogation chamber."

The team's tension grew. They were walking on thin ice, they knew it. By what it looked like, Lotor would be torturing Lance infront of them. A cold, ruthless move- nothing they didn't expect from the Crown Prince of the Galran Empire. There was a flat table that started to incline as footsteps echoed in the background of the feed.

Pidge turned, hiding herself in Hunk's arms, afraid to watch. Hunk's brow creased delicately, and he put a hand on top of Pidge's head for comfort.

Keith pointed at the clear barrels of purple liquid that were wired onto the table, near the head. "What are those?"

Coran's hands instantly went to the keyboard, turning on a computerized spectroscope to decide what the liquid may be. The answer came up on the screen in Altean, so none of our humans understood why Allura and Coran had tensed considerably.

"What?" Keith demanded, turning to the Blue Paladin, "What is it?"

Allura was slack-jawed, but she cleared her throat, "it's pure quintessence."

Hunk raised a finger in question, "But, uh, isn't quintessence, like, a good thing?"

Coran turned to the Paladins, his eyes downcast and worried, "Not in this color. It's been highly modified to suit...what I think it will be used for."

"Torture." Shiro mumbled. Pidge squeezed Hunk tighter, almost shaking now. Her bullet wound suddenly pounding in hallucinated pain. The footsteps were steadily getting louder, and suddenly they saw the white-haired demon enter the frame. He was grinning, and his yellow eyes glowing. He let out a sound that could only be laughter. "You're a tough one, aren't you?" He mused, moving across the frame to stand by the torture table.

Keith's mouth turned into a bittersweet smile. Lance had been tough. He'd expected nothing less.

As if Lotor had read his mind, Lotor's head snapped around to the camera. "Oh my, we're already rolling." He stepped closer to the camera, close enough that the Paladin's could see the tips of Lotor's fangs. "I apologize for the wait, but your ex-teammate is quite the character."

Pidge came out of her hiding spot, her arms shaking, but she stood defiantly in front of the screen. "He's still our teammate! You're just a manipulative-"

Then the voice that they'd all been dying to hear came,hoarse and cracked, "Cunning, stone-hearted bastard?"

Pidge grinned, "Drag him, Lance."

Lance's face popped into the frame from the side, looking slightly confused. "Drag whom?"

There was a sudden gasp from the Voltron force as they searched Lance's face for any sign of injury. Anything to add more fuel to the fire. But when they saw the calm blue eyes, and clear skin, they were slightly taken aback. _He was fine?_

Lance's whole body came into the frame. He was in armor, not unlike the one Lotor was wearing. Dark blue with orange stripes racing across the chestplate. Lance frowned, looking at them. Then, the frame started to shake, and they could suddenly see the room a bit more clearly. The spotty pixels were replaced by a better, cleaner image. Lance had probably fixed the camera. They could see Lance purse his lips as he looked into the camera, and then click his tongue in satisfaction. "Better, can't have you guys watch the show without HD quality, can we?"

Keith couldn't stop the question. The one that hadn't been answered yet. "What?"

"We're going to give you a quick demo on how it's done here!" Lance chirped brightly, shimmying his way to the table. He stopped to gesture at it dramatically, "Here's the table," He pointed out at a few other things, and explained how they all worked. There were antennae that could be used to electrocute. Chains, arm cuffs. Then, he punctuated with extreme excitement, that the table could be wheeled around in case they needed to take the victim to a more extreme session. But the team didn't pay attention to this. All they saw, was the former Red Paladin, happily chatting to them through a video call..about Galran methods of torture. They also saw the soft look on Lotor's face. One of pride...and maybe even respect.

"So!" Lance articulated, making them snap to attention. "Would you like to see it in action?"

Shiro's throat was dry. His fingers were digging into the muscle above his bionic arm. He knew all of this. He remembered all of this. Like it was a clear summer day. He remembered the pain. "No..."

Lance's looked crestfallen at the oldest Paladin's decline. It was bait for the Paladins. Some of their Lance was still in there. The Lance who looked up to Shiro, who was terribly self-conscious. Funny, charismatic, and-

Lance shrugged, suddenly pulling out a dagger, and spinning it between his fingers, "Yeah, well no-one asked you, old man."

This wasn't Lance.

Lance snapped his fingers, and a Galran soldier was thrown into view.

"Enjoy." Came a deep feminine voice from the background. Lance grinned and looked to the side, "Thank ya' Z!"

Lance stepped so the Paladins could see the soldier on the ground, who looked like he was beaten with an inch of his life. Lance gestured at the soldier with a knife, "This is Colonel Uvan. A rebel to the Galra forces. Good thing we caught him in time, y' know."

Lotor chuckled. He'd been silent for a while, just watching with his grin and look of admiration. "Thanks to you, General Lance."

Lance turned over his shoulder to give Lotor a wink, "Don't flatter me."

Allura gulped. General. Lance. Lance, the boy who was basically a brother to her, was now part of the other side. The cold face of the moon that would never be right.

"Anyway," Lance sang, "Colonel knows what happens when you betray the Galran Empire, don't you, Colonel?"

The Galran Colonel seemed to be in pain as he looked up at Lance, "I know that the Galran Empire is at the brink of collapse-" The Colonel turned to the camera, his eyes pleading as he looked at the defenders of the universe. "they can't keep all of this up for much longer, Zarkon is at his deathbed, and Prince Lotor can't hold such a vast empire for much lon-"

Lance slapped him with the blade of his dagger. "Alright, enough from you." He hissed.

"The Blade!" The Colonel continued, desperate to get his message across, "Tell the Blade-"

Lance rolled his eyes, "Oh for fuck's sake," He shoved the hilt of the knife down the Colonel's throat. "be quiet."

It was deadly quiet from Voltron's side. And all they could hear from the speakers was the gagging and groans of pain of the Colonel as Lance and Lotor hoisted him up to the inclined table.

Lance was strapping the Colonel to the table, and Lotor walked up to the camera. He crouched so that his face was level with the field of view.

"Well, well, well, Paladins of Voltron. Silent so quickly?" His eyes seemed to fix on Pidge, who had tears down her face, "Not even anything from the little one?"

He rolled his eyes when he got no response. "Well, I guess I can divulge something to occupy some of the time we have till Lance sets our subject up."

There was a screech of pain, and the harsh click of wrist cuffs in the background.

"My father and I work differently, if you haven't noticed. He is much more inclined to the idea of expanding the Empire, while I would like to focus on making it...better, if I may put it in layman's terms. Also," Lotor shifted, "Can we discuss about the recent solar system you tried to relinquish? I would like it back. What do you want me to offer?"

Hunk didn't miss a beat, "Lance."

Something sinister stirred on the Prince's face, and Hunk suddenly regretted his words.

"I'm afraid that isn't something I can provide...anything else?"

"Your death." Keith snapped back.

Lotor laughed, "High hopes there, 'leader.' Keith right? Pity though, Lance really liked you."

"Lotor!" Lance whined in the background.

"Apologies."

Keith's heart hammered against his ribcage. Suddenly aware that this would not be a good time to blush.

"Done!" Lance announced, and Lotor turned. The two shared a grin, and Lance tapped the Colonel.

"So, any requests? Because I have a few ideas in mind, but I'm no savage."

The Colonel was deadly quiet. Probably passing between life and death. Lance tapped him again, "Hello?"

Lotor's mouth turned into a grim line, "I think he's done."

"No he's not." Lance elbowed the Colonel gently.

Lotor grunted, and held two fingers below the Colonel's nose. After a few seconds, Lotor shook his head, "No, Lance, you won't be able to get anything out of him, he's almost gone."

Lance rolled his eyes, and turned to someone off camera, "Narti? Did you detain his daughter?" A pause, and then a grin on Lance's face, "Perfect."

"Turn it off." Pidge squeaked.

"Come here Pidge," Hunk murmured, pulling the youngest Paladin to him for comfort.

It was only a matter of minutes before a young galran girl was brought into the room, thrashing against the guards that held her. Lance knelt down to her eyes, "Hey, pretty." He whispered, his voice feather-soft and welcoming.

"Could you scream for me?"

The little girl exchanged a few words with Lance. The girl in Galran, and Lance responding in English. Lotor translating. The girl glanced at her father, and then at Voltron. Young emotions clouding her face. Then, she let out a blood-curdling scream.

THe Colonel jolted to life, the paternal drive overwhelming his pain.

Lance clapped his hands, "Thank you! Narti, she can go back to the nursery."

"Don't hurt her-" The Colonel pleaded, but bile rose in his throat and he started choking. The girl was swept off her feet again, and carried away.

"I'm no savage, Colonel. I have siblings of my own. She won't have to pay for your mistakes. But you will,"

* * *

 

Three hours. The call went for three, painful hours. it was still going, and Keith desperately wanted the Colonel to die already, to end the pain. But no. Usually people die from the pain, because they go into cardiac shock. But as soon as the Colonel was even close to his ending point, they pumped in more quintessence through him, barely keeping him alive. But for longer, so the pain would go on.

They'd tried to protest at the beginning, trying to convince Lance to stop. But they were just given a glare, and the Colonel would get another stab in the leg. They'd soon realized, the more they'd protest, the worse it would get.

They'd went through casual stuff. You know, water boarding, beating. At some point, the Colonel wasn't even interrogated. Just tortured.

Lance and Lotor took turns.

"It's hard, okay." Lance had explained, when they switched.

Keith didn't even know if the screams even reached Lance anymore. Or if he cared that he was cutting skin as he drew a tic-tac-toe board on the Colonel's chest.

They hit the three hour mark. And that's when Lance groaned in boredom. "I think we're done." He muttered to Lotor.

Lotor raised a fine brow. "Are you sure?"

Lance turned, and gestured off-camera, "Turn it off."

The screen went black. And the Castle was silent.

 

 

They'd lost Lance.

 


End file.
